Tag: hair loss For Women

Female pattern baldness a.k.a. alopecia in women is the most common form of hair problem that women come across. It involves a typical hair loss pattern, resulting from hormones, aging and genetic predisposition.

Hair loss pattern resulting from alopecia in women

Unlike in men, female pattern baldness does not cause hair loss in a well-defined pattern. The hair starts thinning all over the head though there is no hair line receding. It is rare for alopecia in women to result in total baldness.

In the case of females, the scalp hair loss may begin at any age though usually after 40.
The patterns of female pattern baldness can vary considerably in appearance and may include:

• Diffuse thinning all over the scalp often with more noticeable thinning toward the back of the scalp.
• Diffuse thinning all over the scalp with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp but not involving the frontal hair line.
• Diffuse thinning all over the scalp with more noticeable thinning toward the front of the scalp, involving and sometimes breaching the frontal hairline.

Symptoms of alopecia in women

In normal condition a woman tends to lose around 100-125 hairs per day. Losing more hair than that indicates that the condition is not normal.

The following two conditions indicate alopecia in women –

• Hair thinning over the entire head
• Hair loss at the crown or hair line, from mild to moderate

Causes of female pattern baldness

The disease is triggered by the presence of a male hormone called testosterone in female body. Testosterone is produced by androgen hormone.

Certain women are decidedly more sensitive to testosterone than others. This sensitivity results in hair thinning on their scalp. Testosterone interacts with the enzyme 5 alpha reductase produced by the body. The interaction causes the production of DHT within the hair follicle.

DHT causes production of shorter and finer hairs. When DHT is not received well by hair follicles, it causes reduced blood supply and it causes hair thinning on the scalp.

Diagnosis of female pattern baldness

Women tend to have less obvious hair loss patterns than men and they face non-pattern hair loss more frequently than men. Diagnosis of female hair loss should be conducted by a trained and experienced physician.

The physician diagnoses this hair disease on the basis of hair loss appearance and pattern. He also checks whether other possible hair loss causes can be ruled out. He may also go for a skin biopsy or other procedures to diagnose the medical disorders.

Treatment

The diagnosis of female pattern baldness should be followed by a proper treatment. The patient is usually administered Rogaine. Another medicine is Aldactone, which is useful especially for the women experiencing hair fall after menopause. A modern and popular method used in the case of female pattern baldness is hair transplantation.

If you need treatment for female hair loss your first step is to talk to your doctor. If your hair loss happens to have a medical cause your doctor can determine what that cause is and prescribe the best treatment for you.

That treatment may be a simple as telling you to go buy some Rogaine over the counter and following the directions on the bottle. Rogaine is usually rubbed into the scalp twice each day and is best for the condition known as female pattern baldness. Rogaine inhibits the production of a certain hormone called DHT that kills off hair follicles and causes balding in both men and women.

Women never used to get the attention they deserved when it came to hair loss. But times have changed and now women have almost as many options as men do when it comes to treating hair loss. No more hiding under a wig. Some products for men should not be taken or even handled by women of child bearing years because they can cause severe birth defects. So if you are losing your hair do not think that you can use any old thing that the guys do because they can be very harmful to you and your unborn child.

If your doctor determines that the cause of your hair loss has some other origin, say like, thyroid dysfunction, called hypothyroidism, liver disease, or God forbid, cancer then treatment will have to be more aggressive and treat the underlying cause. Getting your thyroid under control is nothing more than taking a pill everyday. Liver disease may need more extensive treatment and cancer treatment will actually make your hair fall out.

Other treatments include herbal remedies you can try to strengthen hair and stimulate hair growth. Research has come a long way when it comes to finding natural treatment for female hair loss. Women no longer have to rely on wearing wigs everyday to hide their hair loss. They can use these treatments and re-grow their own natural hair.

Treatment does not need to consist of harsh chemical compounds. There are plenty of herbal products that you can research and use without worrying about what you are putting in or on your body.

Making sure that your diet is rich in vitamins and minerals is important also. If you are deficient in any number of vitamins or minerals this can lead to hair loss as well. You can ask your doctor to do some blood work if you suspect that you are lacking a specific vitamin or mineral. This can usually be corrected with improving your diet or taking a good multi-vitamin or herbal supplement.

Treatment for female hair loss is becoming more and more common in the medical community and even if there are not as many treatments for women as there are for men, there are still more than there used to be. So, ladies, throw away those wigs and re-grow your own beautiful, full head of hair.

Medical hair restoration in the literal sense includes the hair loss treatment which depends upon the use of medicines. Unusual hair loss both in men and women is caused by the alterations in the androgen metabolism. The metabolism of androgen involves an enzyme called 5 alpha reductase which combines with the hormone androgen (testosterone) to form the DHT (Dihydro-testosterone). DHT is a natural metabolite of our body which is the root cause of hair loss.

DHT gets into the hair follicles and roots (dermal papilla), it prevents necessary proteins, vitamins and minerals from providing nourishment for hair follicles. This shortens their growing stage (anagen phase) and lengthens their resting stage (telogen phase) of the follicle. DHT is responsible for 95% of hair loss.

Some individuals both men and women are genetically pre-disposed to produce more DHT than the normal individuals. DHT also creates a wax-like substance around the hair roots. DHT accumulation inside the hair follicles and roots is one of the primary causes of male and female pattern hair loss.

Blocking the synthesis of DHT at molecular level forms the basis for the treatment of MPHL (male pattern hair loss) and FPHL (female pattern hair loss). There are many natural DHT blockers and a number of drugs which are used for medical hair restoration. Let’s see.

Minoxidil
Minoxidil has the distinction of the first drug being used for promoting the hair restoration. Minoxidil was then approved as medical hair restoration treatment drug for men by the FDA, USA in 1988 as a 2% solution, followed by 5% solution in 1997. For women, the 2% solution was approved in 1991. Though 5% solution is not approved for women, it is used as a medical hair restoration treatment by many dermatologists worldwide.

Mechanism of action
Minoxidil is thought to have a direct mitogenic effect on epidermal cells. Calcium normally enhances epidermal growth factors to inhibit hair growth. Minoxidil by getting converted to minoxidil sulfate enhances potassium ion permeability to prevent calcium ions from entering into cells. It takes about few months time for the results to be evident since it is the time which is necessary for restoring the normal growth cycle of hair fibers.

Though minoxidil does not have any effect on blood pressure, it should be used with caution in patient with cardiovascular diseases. It is also contraindicated in pregnant and nursing mothers.

Finasteride
The drug finasteride was earlier used as treatment for prostate enlargement, under the medical name Proscar. But in 1998, it was approved by FDA for the Medical hair loss restoration in MPHL.

Mechanism of Action
Medical hair restoration treatments with Finasteride depends upon its specific action as an inhibitor of type II 5α-reductase, the intracellular enzyme that converts male hormone androgen into DHT (Dihydro Testosterone). Its action results in significant decrease in serum and tissue DHT levels in even in concentration as low as 0.2mg. Finasteride stabilizes hair loss in 80% of patient with Vertex hair loss and in 70% of patients with frontal hair loss. The peculiar thing about Propecia is that its effect is more pronounced in crown area than in the front.

Many hair restoration surgeons find Propecia (finasteride) to act as an excellent adjunct to the surgical hair restoration.

Combination Therapy
There are reports which say that use of finasteride and topical minoxidil combination therapy as a Medical hair restoration treatment is of more advantage in cases of mild to moderate MPHL. Many hair restoration doctors have already started the use of combination therapy in order to obtain better hair growth.

Anti Androgen Therapy
For women with hyperandrogonism(with increased levels of androgen) who do not respond well to minoxidil, antiandrogen therapy is another option of medical hair restoration. In UK the most commonly used anti-androgen for women is CPA (cyproterone acetate), which is used in combination with ethinyl-estradiol.
In United States CPA is not available, the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone is the alternative choice of hair restoration doctors.

Flutamide
Medical hair restoration with flutamide has shown improvement as hair loss restoration treatment in women with hirsutism. For hyperandrogenic premenopausal women, flutamide is a better medical hair restoration agent than both the CPA or finestride.
Hair loss restoration management is a structured process. For more details on the topic you can refer to section medical hair restoration or article on male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss at our site hairtransplantadvice.com.

Your hair is made of keratin (KER-uh-tin), the same protein that makes up your nails and the outer layer of your skin. The part you see and style is called the hair shaft. It’s actually dead tissue made by your hair follicles tiny bulb-like structures beneath your scalp’s surface.

We have all heard of someone who has thinning hair problem, but do we really know how extensive this thinning hair problem is? Let us take a look at the figures here..

1. 70 million Americans Have Fine or Thin-looking Hair And it’s Growing
2. 4 million more women and 4.7 million more men will have noticeably thin-looking hair by 2005
3. By age 65, 48% of all women report they have thinning hair and 75% of all men report they have noticeably thin-looking hair.
4. Research has shown that the problem of thin-looking hair can begin as early as age 17.
5. The problem will grow more extreme as our population ages.

How does hair loss start?

Hair loss is a normal symptom. 50 to 60 hairs are shed each day from a normal scalp. Losing more than 60 hairs a day is called excessive hair loss and leads to generalized thinning of the hair. Hair becomes fine in texture. Loss of hair in men is often determined by heredity or by the Allopetia Androgenetic hormone. Hair loss in women is often caused by pregnancy, stress, fatigue or medical treatment.

Can Thyroid Disease Cause Hair Loss?

An overactive or underactive thyroid can cause hair loss. One may get her thyroid numbers in order after beginning a regimen of thyroid medication. However, there have been reported cases of women experiencing hair loss FROM the thyroid medication.

Hot Tips!

Coloring: If you inherited a tendency for hair loss, you likely have very healthy hair overall. Therefore, your hair can benefit from permanent or semi-permanent color to give body and volume to hair.

Volumizing Products: Many volume-building hair products contain paraffin, which is beeswax. That’s not good for hair, because it builds up and can make hair break.

However, volumizing products sold in salons do help. They won’t weigh hair down, and they won’t damage it. Mousse, for example, can be applied at the root area for support. Then, begin blow-drying the root area, applying tension with a brush to build volume. Use a light finishing spray to hold it.

A popular misconception is that only men suffer from hair loss. A related fallacy is that only a very small percentage of women experience hair loss. Both assertions are not true; it is estimated that six out of ten women will undergo some degree of hair loss. This process is even more devastating for women because it seems that it is not as prevalent (as hair loss in men) and a woman’s beauty is closely tied in with lustrous, full-looking hair.

Probably one of the most traumatic experiences that can affect a woman is losing her hair. Baldness occurs when hairs begin to fall out (which is normal- about 100-150 per day), but do not grow back. Science is still tackling with exact reasons for the start of the process, but we know that genetic predisposition, aging, and diet are closely (if not directly) related.

Reasons for Hair Loss

Genetic hair loss and increased shedding (chronic telogen effluvium) is responsible for the majority of hair loss grievances by women (up to 95% before menopause). Unlike men, women are more likely to experience thinning from behind the front hairline to the crown.

There are two types of hair loss: telogen effluvium and anagen effluvium. The latter is due to medications or processes such as chemotherapy. The former is due to an abnormal number of hair follicles being in the resting stage. The following are reasons for telogen effluvium:

– Stress on the body due to surgery, illness, anemia, rapid change in weight, etc.
– Stress on the mind due to mental illness, death, depression, etc.
– Thyroid abnormalities
– Medications such as high doses of Vitamin A, blood pressure pills, gout medications, etc.
– Hormonal causes such as birth control pills, pregnancy, and menopause

When these above causes are remedied, a return of normal hair growth will follow.

Diet

A good, healthy, and well-balanced diet contributes to voluminous hair. Large amounts of vitamin A should be avoided. Protein and iron rich foods will contribute to healthy hair. Vegetarians and Vegans often may be targets for hair loss because of their modified diets. Protein, iron, and zinc supplements should be ingested on a daily basis if you are a vegan or vegetarian.

Physical and Emotional Stress

Undergoing severe illness and emotional stress can contribute to hair loss. The body begins to break down and normal functioning is altered. The body knows that hair production is not vital to survival, so it will devote its energies elsewhere and in effect create hair loss. In most cases there is a three month delay between an event and the advent of hair loss. It may take up to three months for hair to grow back after the resolution of a traumatic event.

Health conditions such as anemia, low blood count, and thyroid abnormalities attribute to hair loss. These conditions can be combated and can easily be indicated by a blood test.

Hormonal Change

Hormonal changes can cause hair loss in women. Pregnancy and the discontinuation of birth control pills can cause hair loss. When a woman is pregnant their levels of the hormone progesterone becomes high and causes hair to be in a dormant state. When hormone levels re-balance, the woman will experience re-growth of the hair. Ironically, when a woman undergoes restoration, she will see a great deal of hair falling out. This is the dormant hair being replaced by healthier, fuller hair.

The good news is that if you are experiencing hair loss, most likely the cause can be remedied. It is up to each woman to take care of herself and be proactive to fight hair loss. Because it takes some time to overcome and re-grow hair after many of the instances of hair loss, finding a great looking wig is suggested, so that you will not experience a lack of confidence and cause more stress (which is bad for the hair) while your hair is growing back.

Not surprisingly, hair loss myths are more well known than hair loss facts. Since hair loss is such a common and unwelcome condition, the public has been flooded with hair loss myths to promote sales of hair loss prevention products. Many companies have jumped on the hair loss bandwagon because of our own enormous desires to eliminate hair loss from our lives, not to mention the unlimited amount of money that we (the public) are willing to spend on this quest. This makes the hair loss market ripe for perpetuating myths that will increase sales. But, for the most part, they are just that, myths.

Some of the more common hair loss myths are as follows: Male Pattern Baldness comes from the mother’s side of the family and skips a generation. Not true. There is no one single gene that causes baldness. Most researches believe that MPB is a result of several different genes, inherited from both parents, interacting with each other to cause hair loss.

Hair loss myth #2: Pattern baldness affects only men. Just ask any women suffering from pattern baldness, it’s not true. In fact, hair loss is just as common in women as it is in men, it just usually occurs in a less virulent form and is easier to hide. Also, women’s hair tends to thin out over the entire scalp area, whereas men’s hair thins in patches and at the forehead.

Hair loss myth #3: Poor blood flow to the scalp area causes hair loss. This is a misconception that has been perpetuated by companies selling hair loss products for years. Ask any dermatologist and they will tell you, bald scalps have just as much blood flow as scalps full of hair. It is because of this blood flow to the bald scalp that hair transplants work so well.

Hair loss myth #4: If you haven’t lost your hair by 40, you aren’t going to. Again, not true. Age has nothing to do with it. If you are genetically predisposed to loose your hair, you are going to. Just be grateful you made it to 40 with your hair still intact.

Hair loss myth #5: Stress makes your hair fall out. Okay, in some part, this is true, but it takes a very traumatic event to cause enough stress that your hair falls out. The common stress we experience on a daily basis will not make our hair fall out. In fact, some stress can actually increase the production of hair.

Okay, I could go on and on about hair loss myths and not run out of things to talk about. My point is this. Most of the facts we think we know about hair loss are actually hair loss myths. If you are suffering from hair loss, consult your doctor. Your physician will be able to give you a factual reason for your hair loss and advise you on what types of treatments would work in your specific case.

﻿The Latest Research On Male Hair Loss – New Findings Come Up Regularly

We all are fond of great looks and personality. Be it men or women our hair is a crucial part of our personality and none of us want to lose it. Generally women are not affected from hair loss much but men are prone to losing it. Men suffer from hair loss and within a very short period of time lose most of their hair. So if you are concerned about it, you should stop hair loss now. For many years scientists are putting in their earnest efforts to find ways for treating hair loss and preventing baldness. The latest research on male hair loss is an amalgam of medication and surgery.

Men normally suffer from male pattern baldness. During the twenties this problem appears when they start losing hair. This condition results in frontal baldness around the forehead or a shiny scalp at the center of the head. If you see the indications of this type of male baldness then seek immediate medical attention. There are two basic types of treatment for male hair loss. One is medication and another one is surgical operation on the scalp. If medication is prescribed a varied approach is adopted. Shampoos, medicines, vitamin pills, herbal therapies, etc are used to treat male pattern hair loss. Huge advances have been made with extensive research being done to produce medicines that could stop now any hair loss.

Some of the cosmetic treatments can give you results immediately by stopping now the hair loss. Obviously to gain such results you have to spend a lot for the hair loss treatment. You should consult a doctor or a dermatologist if you are losing hair and he or she would prescribe long-term medication or cosmetic surgery depending on the severity of the condition.

Why go to the extent of all those medical costs when you can do it cheaper and safer the natural way. For the first time in the history of mankind
it is now possible to stop or slow the progression of hair loss and to replace lost hair through surgery with completely natural results. We have discovered an all-natural herbal hair loss product called Provillus. In addition to helping with scalp hair regrowth, these natural treatments often have other health benefits as well.

Hair thinning is emotionally stressful for most of the 43 million women over age 18 who experience it. Hair thinning is usually triggered by a
combination of hormonal activity and genetics, which together cause the hair follicles in the scalp to shrink. Hair loss is probably the last
thing that you expected saw palmetto to be associated with, but as of late there have been many treatments out there that have been designed to
alleviate the symptoms of hair loss and help re grow hair and this is just one of them. Provillus is the best option we have seen for scalp hair
regrowth. However, with hair loss in women the hair thins in a very diffuse manner; female hair loss is evenly distributed over the scalp.

Provillus for Women promotes hair follicle growth, thereby supporting hair re-growth. It keeps the hair healthy and full-bodied by supplying adequate nutrients. Unlike many of the hair loss products available today, provillus is entirely natural and free from chemicals that can harm your hair. It is far cheaper than the alternatives and it offers a 6 month money back guarantee.

Whilst it may be comforting to know that humans are not alone in suffering hair loss (primates such as monkeys also experience thinning on their head) – understanding the causes of hair loss means we can take proactive action. Even though genetics does play a part, new research has uncovered a nutritional deficiency link in both men and women. And other factors, such as stress, and poor hair care, are well within our capacity to change.

The genetic link in hair loss has been well studied. It is associated with male and female pattern hair loss, or alopecia. In these individuals there is an increased sensitivity to the sex hormone, DHT. DHT stands for dihydrotestosterone, and is a powerful metabolite of testosterone. It contributes to men’s unique gender characteristics, as well as facial and body hair, and the deepening of men’s voices at puberty.

DHT causes the growth cycle of hair follicles to shorten, which in turn reduces the size of the hair shaft. Increasingly narrower hair is grown, sometimes as fine as fluff, and in more extreme cases, there is complete hair loss in that area.

In women, estrogen usually counteracts the effects of testosterone. But when women go through menopause, or suffer hormonal imbalances, the reduction in estrogen can lead to female pattern baldness. Fortunately, this is not as drastic in its hair loss effects as male pattern baldness. Instead the hair tends to thin, and the crown parting becomes wider.

But a very interesting study by L’Oreal has linked an iron deficiency to hair loss, in both men and women. This was a placebo controlled, double blind study in which 13,000 healthy men and women took a supplement, and had the ferritin (iron) levels in their blood measured and cross referenced with information on their hair loss.

The results showed not only a link between hair loss and iron deficiency, but they were able to estimate the risk of hair loss in a certain level of iron deficiency. For example, women whose blood ferritin levels dropped from a normal 70µg/l to 40µg/l, had a 28% higher chance of severe hair loss. The post menopausal women in the study who had severe hair loss all had much lower levels of iron than the women who didn’t have severe hair loss.

The problem with iron supplementation, however, is that excess iron builds up in the body’s tissues and becomes toxic. It has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic illnesses. Iron levels can be tested by a doctor, so if hair loss is a concern, its best to get your iron levels tested first before taking iron supplements.

Other potential causes of hair loss – or at least, contributing factors are stress and poor hair care practices. Not brushing hair regularly, or washing it regularly, can affect the normal hair growth cycle.

When hair that is naturally at the end of its life cycle is removed through brushing, it allows another hair to grow underneath it. Regular brushing naturally removes dead hair that is ready to fall out. Not removing that hair means new growth cannot occur, as the old hair smothers the new growth. Dirt and oil build up can have a similar effect, so its important to wash hair regularly.

Stress can affect the circulation of nutrients and oxygen to the scalp, by causing the muscles in the scalp to tighten. If this happens over a long period of time, premature hair loss can occur. This cause of hair loss is distinct from male pattern baldness (which is hormonal), but it can certainly exacerbate the condition. And stress reduction techniques are simple things that can be added to a daily routine, to prevent hair loss, and improve the overall quality of life.

The search for hair regrowth treatment is often tiring and frustrating. It is nothing new to hear about men who try everything available off the shelf and even by prescription, to find the right hair regrowth treatment for their hair.

Actually, no hair regrowth treatment for men is complete if the product is not a combination of DHT blockers and hair growth vitamins and supplements. This is because hair loss is one issue and hair growth is quite another. Hair does grow normally until a certain age. But if hair fall is more than hair growth, it makes a visible difference called balding.

Hair loss in males in apparent between 18-35 years. Whether the cause for hair loss and balding is genetic, dietary or medical, this is the period in which it all comes out into the open. Androgenetic Alopecia is the most common cause for hair loss. It is also termed male pattern balding.

Androgenetic Alopecia is a classic condition characterized by increased presence of DHT -Dihydrotestosterone in the scalp. Dihydrotestosterone causes the hair loss in male pattern balding. This is because 5-Alpha Reductase, a naturally occurring enzyme in the human body, reacts with testosterone and produces excessive amounts DHT.

An all natural product without any side effects Procerin is available off the shelf in both pill form as well as topical solution form. It can be used on a daily basis without any complications whatsoever. People using Procerin have noticed results within two months and some even earlier.

Whether it is a widow’s peak you are worried about or those bald unsightly patches or even uncontrollable hair loss, Procerin has in it the most effective ingredients to address your peculiar hair condition. And it is not just us saying it. You can check out the testimonials and reviews online and take the correct step towards longer, lusher hair.